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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Okay, so I forgot to take a photo of these after I cut them up into their cute little squares. So you can just look at the finished pan and imagine them cut into the little squares, okay? Haha! This is a great "skinny" alternative to most sugary pumpkin treats because it has a bit less sugar, uses whole wheat flour, and is full of healthy pumpkin and carrots! Yes, carrots! 


Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter (or butter substitute)
2 eggs
2 large egg whites
1 15oz can pumpkin pie filling
2/3 cup finely shredded carrot

For the cream cheese topping:
4 oz light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp milk

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and brown sugar until crumbly. Add eggs, egg whites, pumpkin pie filling, and carrots. Beat until well-blended.
3. Add flour mixture a little at a time and mix until combined.
4. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spread, and spread pumpkin mixture into the pan.
5. To prepare the cream cheese topping, mix cream cheese, sugar, and milk until smooth. 
6. Drop globs of the cream cheese topping all over the pumpkin batter and swirl with a knife to create a marble pattern.
7. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares.

(dry ingredients)

(all mixed)

(butter and sugars)

(wet ingredients)

(wet ingredients mixed)

(pumpkin mixture in the pan)

(cream cheese topping ingredients)

(cream cheese topping)

(globs on top of the pumpkin mixture)

(marble pattern)

Ta-da!

Enjoy!

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